Insect-trap.



PATENTED SEPT. 8, 1908.

H. L. GOODWIN.

INSECT TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 18, 1902. RENEWED MAB. e, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

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UNiTED STATES Patented September 8, 196

HENRY L. GOODWIN, OF SUMMIT, NEW JERSEY.

INS ECT-T RAP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 738,184, datedSeptember 8, 1903. Application filed January 18,1902. Renewed March6,1903. Serial No. 146,588. (No model.)

To all whom it may, concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY L. GOODWIN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Summit, county of Union, and State of New Jersey, am theinventor of a certain new and useful Improvementin Insect-Traps, ofwhich the following is such a full, clear, and exact description as willenable any one skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same, reference being had to the acconipanying drawings, formingpart of this specification.

Myinvention relates to apparatus for catching or trapping wingedinsectssuch, for instance, as mosquitoes-and the particular object ofthe invention is to provide a simple and efficient form of device bymeans of which the insects when attracted to the vicinity of the devicemay he at once drawn into it and either killed by the force of theairuction or caused to betrapped in a compartment, where they areconfined for subsequent extermination. V

I have illustrated types of myinvention in the accompanying drawings,wherein- Figure 1 is a central vertical section of one form of myimproved device, the same being shown as arranged in an ordinary windowof a house, a portion of the sill and lower sash of such window beingalso shown in vertical section. Fig. 2 is a similar view of a modifiedform of the device.

Referring to the drawings, in which like numbers of reference designatelike parts throughout, 2 is a compartment or cage into which theair-currents carry the insects and where they may be confined forextermination. This compartment may be made portable or not, and in theform shown in Fig. 1 it is provided with an opening in the back, whichis covered with a translucent material 3, through which an artificiallight may be thrown, so as to shine into and through the compartment.

At the front of the compartment 2 is an unobstructed opening 4, throughwhich the outer air may be drawn or sucked into the compartment toconvey therein any winged insects that may be attracted to the vicinityof the opening by the light shining therefrom. The opening 4 is providedwith a door or gate 5, which is hinged at 6 and is provided with a catch7, located upon the exte= rior of the compartment 2 for holding the dooropen during the operation of the device. When the apparatus is put outof operation, the door 5 is closed to confine within the compartment 2all the insects that have been drawn therein.

In the back wall of the compartment 2 is an opening 8, which is coveredwith wiregauze 9 of such fine mesh that the ordinary small wingedinsects cannot pass through it. This gauze-covered opening 8 ispreferably arranged in a door 10, hinged at 11 and having a fasteningdevice 12, by means of which door access may be readily had to theinterior of the compartment 2 for any desired purpose.

A suction-fan 13 is arranged within the compartment 2, and likewise amotor 14 for driving the fan. The motor shown is an electric one, andthe fan is so constructed that when it rotates it sucks the exterior airthrough the opening 4 into the compartment 2, from whence it passesthrough the gauze 9 to the exterior of the compartment. The openings isprovided with a funnel-shaped piece 15 for increasing the suction effectwhen the fan is in action.

The casing or compartment 2 is made of such size as to be readilyportable and is adapted to be placed upon the sill 16 of an ordinarywindow, so that the sliding windowsash 17 may be drawn down into contactwith the upper side thereof to hold the structure in the window with thefunnel-like part 15 projeotingoutwardlytherefrom. Whenthus placed in anordinary window, the artificial light shining from the interior of thebuilding through the window may be cut off by a curtain 18 in order toprevent the light from shining from the interior of the buildingoutwardly from any other place than through the transparent material 3in the compartment 2. The light coming from the interior of the buildingthrough the glass 3 shines through the compartment 2 and thence throughthe opening 4," so as to illuminate the funnel-like part 15, and thisserves to attract to the vicinity of the month of the funnelshaped part15 winged insects, which upon coming within the range of the air-suctioncreated by the fan 13 are at once drawn in through the funnel or hoodinto the compartment 2, where they are either killed or maimed by be.ing forcibly thrown against the walls of the compartment or are keptconfined by the current of air which passes into the compartment throughthe opening 4, thence through the wire-gauze 9 at the back of thecompartment into the surrounding air, the air-currents thus passingthrough the compartment being indicated by the arrows, and this suctionis maintained during the action of the fan 13. When it is desired tostop the operation of the apparatus, the door or gate 5 is closed overthe opening 4 by releasing the hook 7 and letting the door gravitateinto closed position, and then the fan 13 is thrown out of action.

In the modified construction of the device shown in Fig. 2 the fan 13,used with the apparatus, is placed forwardly of the compartment 2 in aforward extension or passage-way 19 of the compartment, which at itsouter en (1 is provided with the hood or funnel-shaped piece 15, leadingto the opening 4: of the passage-way 19. A suitable light 20-such, forinstance as an electric lamp or an oil-lampis placed within thepassage-way 19 in front of the fan, and back of this light is arranged asuitable reflector 21 for increasing the efiect of the light in shiningoutwardly from the apparatus. A sliding door or gate 22, having suitableguideways 23, is arranged to cut off or to open the communicationbetween the interior of the compartment 2 and the passage-way 19, suchgate being shown in the drawings as raised in open position. The bottomof the compartment is provided with a door 24, hinged at 25 and providedwith a suitable catch 26, by means of which access may be gained to theinterior of the compartment. The top of this compartment 2 has an Yopening therein which is covered with fine wire-gauze 27, and the backwall thereof is also formed with a suitable opening covered withwire-gauze 28. When the fan 13 is in motion, the air is sucked inthrough the hood 15, passing through the openinget in the passage-way19, is forced through the compartment out of both of the gauze-coveredopenings, so that the insects when drawn in at the mouth of the funnelare carried thence, as per the arrows, into the compartment 2, wherethey are confined. When it is desired to stop the operation of thedevice, the door readily exterminated by subjecting the interior of thecompartment 2 to the fumes from kerosene-oil.

At a suitable point within the compartment 2 I place a guard 30,which inthe construction shown in Fig. 1 consists of a member shaped like atruncated cone with the larger end placed outwardly and the small endthereof encircling the lower part of the motor 14 with an annular space31 between the small end of the cone and the motor. The air-currentscarrying the insects forcibly through this' guard drive them through thesmall annular space 31 into the chamber back of the guard. This space 31being comparatively small the guard serves as a further means ofentrapping and confining the insects back of the same, and when the fanis stopped the chances are that very few of the insects which arecarried into the chamber back of the guard will find their way outthrough the small end of the guard In Fig. 2 this guard is made of twoplane surfaces 32, which are inclined toward each other and convergeinwardly with a small space 33 between the inner ends of the twomembers. The air-currents passing into the large end of the guard carrythe insects through the guard and drive them through the opening 32thereof into the chamher back of the same where they are confined by theguard.

\Vhere the apparatus is used by being" placed in the window or otheropening-ofa house, the fan serves as a ventilator in addi-" tion todoing the work of sucking the air nto the trap, and the screen in theapparatus also serves to prevent dust from being carried into the housethrough the apparatus.

1 wish to be understood as not limiting my invention to the specificcpnstructions of the apparatus herewith shown, as it is evident thatmodifications may be made in the various parts thereof without, however,making a material departure from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. An insect-trap comprising the combination of a compartment having anopening communicating with the outer air for admitting the insects, asuitable light arranged to shine into or through said compartment forattracting the insects to said opening, and means for creating a currentofair through said opening and into said compartment, whereby theinsects upon coming near to or into said opening may be carried by theair into said compartment, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

2. An insect-trap comprising the combination of a compartment having anopening communicating with the outer air for admitting the insects, asuitable light arranged to shine into or through said compartment forattracting the insects to said opening, and a vesusa fan for drawing theexterior air through said opening into the compartment to convey theinsects therein, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. A portable insect-trap consisting in the combination of a compartmenthaving an opening communicating with the outer air for admitting theinsects, a translucent opening in the back of said compartment throughwhich a light may shine into said compartment, and means for creating acurrent of air through said opening and into said compartment, wherebythe insects upon coming near to or into said opening may be carried bythe air into said compartment, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

4. An insect-trap comprising the combination of a compartment having anopening communicating with the outer air for admitting the insects, asuitable light arranged to shine into or through said compartment forattracting the insects to said opening, the said compartment beingprovided with one or more air-outlets through which the insects cannotpass, and a fan or air-suction device located in said compartment fordrawing the air through the said opening into said compartment,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. An insect-trap comprising the combina tion of a compartment having anopening communicating with the outer air for admitting the insects, asuitable light arranged to shine into or through said compartment forattracting the insects to said opening, one or more of the sides of saidcompartment being provided with fine gauze for the exit of the air butnot permitting the insects to pass out, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

6. An insect-trap comprising the combination of a compartment having anopening communicating with the outer air for admitting the insects,means for creating a current of air through said opening and into saidcompartment, whereby the insects upon coming near to or intosaid openingmay be forcibly carried by the air into said compartment, and a guardhaving inwardly -converging walls against which the insects may bedriven by the air-currents and provided with a comparatively smallopening at the inner end thereof and placed within the path of theaircurrent so as to confine back of the guard any insects that may becarried past the guard, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. An insect-trap comprising the combination of a compartment having anopening communicating with the outer air for admitting the insects,means for attracting the in sects toward or near to said opening, andmeans for creating a current of air through said opening and into saidcompartment, whereby the insects upon coming near to or into saidopening may be carried by the aircurrent into said compartment,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

HENRY L. GOODWIN.

Witnesses:

WILLIS FOWLER, SAMUEL M. OHEsNU'r.

